Name: Isco
Born: April 21, 1992, in Benalmádena (near Malaga), Spain
Position: Attacking midfielder
Pro Club: Real Madrid
Why is he in the news?
He’s been one of Real Madrid’s best players this season, playing a starring role in Los Blancos winning their first La Liga title in five years and helping them qualify for Saturday’s Champions League final in Cardiff against Juventus.
Used sporadically last season, Isco has been a key starter for Real in 2016-17, especially during Gareth Bale’s lengthy absence due to an ankle injury. Bale could be fit for Saturday’s game, but Isco has been in such outstanding form that there’s a growing and heated debate going on as to whether Real manager Zinedine Zidane should start the Welshman ahead of the Spaniard against Juventus.
He’s special because
Isco ranks among the best midfielders in the world at the moment, and he has been one of Real Madrid’s most important players this season – no small feat when you consider this is a team that includes players the calibre of Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
He’s not the type of midfielder that will dribble circles around opponents and make defenders look silly, although he is pretty solid when in possession. Isco’s main strength is his sublime playmaking ability. Quick and decisive in his decision making, he reads the game beautifully – Isco is a player of great vision, who sees and exploits spaces on the pitch in order to pick out teammates with pinpoint passes.
Club career
A former Valencia youth product, Isco played for Los Che’s reserve side before debuting for the senior team in 2010. But the next year he was sold on to Malaga, where he first came to prominence as a bright, young prospect. Two years later he moved on to Real Madrid, with Los Blancos paying a €30 million transfer fee for his services.
Isco already has two Champions League titles to his credit, having won with Real Madrid in 2014 and last year – he scored in the final two years ago against Atletico Madrid – but he’s floated in and out of the lineup due to a change in formation and tactics. This season, though, he’s firmly established himself as a starter, thanks in large part due to Bale’s injury, and he should figure prominently in Saturday’s contest against Juventus.
His most famous moment
It has to be his goal in the second leg of this season’s Champions League against Atletico Madrid. Los Blancos won the opener 3-0, but Atletico stormed back to take a 2-0 lead in the return match after just 16 minutes.
Just when it looked the home team was making a game of it, Karim Benzema made a great individual play along the end-line before playing the ball back to Toni Kroos. The German’s shot was saved, but Isco was there on the doorstep to cooly slot home the rebound just before halftime. 2-1. Isco’s goal completely knocked the wind out of a surging Atletico side and effectively sealed Real’s passage through to the final.
Here’s a few interesting facts
• Isco’s full name is Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez.
• He was the first player signed by Carlo Ancelotti when he took over as Real Madrid manager.
• Real Madrid’s three La Liga losses this past season all came without Isco on the pitch.
• Former Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas boldly predicted in 2015 that Isco would one day become the Spanish national team’s most important player.
• In 2012, he won the prestigious “Golden Boy” award, an honour that goes to the top player (under 21) in Europe as voted on by sports journalists. Previous winners included Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Mario Gotze and Cesc Fabregas.
What they’re saying about him
“Isco has given them added value. … He has been a determining factor for Real Madrid in recent months.” – Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini
He said it
“It’s been some time coming, but it’s a dream come true to have won the title here, with my family and friends in my city. I’ll be forever grateful for the affection they’ve shown me. It’s a very sweet moment and you have to enjoy it. We’ve shown that we were capable of using the whole squad.” – Isco, after Real Madrid beat Malaga to clinch the La Liga title.
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